IP Library Granted Patent US 10,012,660
Granted Patent B2
US 10,012,660 · App. 15/834,441 · Granted Jul 3, 2018

Toilet apparatus for detecting fluorescent drug markers in urine

Inventors: David R. Hall (Provo, UT); Conrad Rosenbrock (Provo, UT); Ben Swenson (Lehi, UT); Daniel Hendricks (Provo, UT); Joe Fox (Spanish Fork, UT); Terrece Pearman (Draper, UT)
G01N33/94A61B10/007E03D11/11E03D11/13G01N21/6428G01N33/493G01N2021/6417G01N2201/061
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,012,660
App. No.
15/834,441
Granted
Jul 3, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure describes a toilet apparatus for detecting a drug marker in a urine sample. The drug markers are fluorophores each of which emits a unique fluorescence spectrum. Accordingly, the toilet does not detect the drug but rather, the drug marker. The user consumes a drug composition which includes a drug and a fluorescent drug marker. The user urinates normally into the toilet and fluorescence spectrometer within the toilet analyzes the urine for drug markers based on their unique fluorescent spectra. Computer software associated with the toilet identifies, and in some embodiments, quantifies the fluorescent spectra by comparing the detected spectra to known spectra of fluorescent markers associated with the drug.

Claims (29)

1. A toilet comprising:

a toilet bowl;

a urine capture device;

a controller; and

a urine analysis system comprising:

a fluorescence spectrometer, the fluorescence spectrometer comprising:

at least one fluorescence excitation light source;

at least one fluorescence measurement cell; and

a spectral analyzer;

a mound, the mound defined by a protrusion of an inner surface of the toilet bowl and comprising a depression; and

an orifice, wherein the orifice is within the mound and in fluid communication with the urine analysis system.

2. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluorescence measurement cell comprises a conduit in fluid communication with the orifice, the conduit comprising two optical windows.

3. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluorescence measurement cell comprises a thermal regulator.

4. The toilet of claim 3 , wherein the controller is in electrical connection with the thermal regulator.

5. The toilet of claim 4 , wherein the controller comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises instructions for regulating the temperature of the at least one fluorescence measurement cell.

6. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for identifying a drug composition, the drug composition comprising a drug and a fluorescent drug marker, by comparing a unique fluorescence emission spectrum measured in a urine sample with a known fluorescence emission spectrum of each of a plurality of fluorescent drug markers.

7. The toilet of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions for quantifying the fluorescent drug marker.

8. The toilet of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions for comparing a plurality of unique fluorescence spectra associated with a plurality of fluorescent drug markers with a known fluorescence emission spectrum of each of a plurality of fluorescent drug markers.

9. The toilet of claim 8 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions for quantifying each of the plurality of fluorescent drug markers.

10. The toilet of claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions for conducting an ensemble measurement.

11. The toilet of claim 10 , wherein the instructions direct the ensemble measurement to be performed by serial measurements.

12. The toilet of claim 1 , further comprising a rinsing device, wherein the rinsing device is in fluid communication with a water source, the urine capture device, and the urine analysis system.

13. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluorescence measurement cell comprises a plurality of fluorescence measurement cells.

14. The toilet of claim 1 , further comprising a means for identifying a user of the toilet, the means comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

15. The toilet of claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises instructions for storing data from an analysis performed by the toilet and associating the data with the user.

16. The toilet of claim 15 , further comprising a data communication port, wherein the controller is in electronic communication with a network database.

17. The toilet of claim 1 , further comprising a means for identifying a user of the toilet comprising at least one of the following list: a keypad, a wireless connection to a mobile device, and a biometric verification device.

18. The toilet of claim 1 wherein the urine analysis system further comprises a microfluidic channel.

19. The toilet of claim 18 , wherein the controller comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for conducting an ensemble measurement.

Assignments (9)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 16, 2024
From: MEDIC, INC.
To: GUARDIAN HEALTH, INC.
Reel/Frame 066337/0771 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 14, 2020
From: HALL LABS LLC
To: MEDIC, INC.
Reel/Frame 052671/0795 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 3, 2018
From: ROSENBROCK, CONRAD
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 047058/0308 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2018
From: SWENSON, BEN
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 046952/0220 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2018
From: ALLEN, DAN
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 046897/0127 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2018
From: HENDRICKS, DANIEL
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 046897/0264 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 15, 2018
From: HALL, DAVID R
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 046832/0478 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 15, 2018
From: PEARMAN, TERRECE
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 046834/0374 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 15, 2018
From: FOX, JOE
To: HALL LABS LLC
Reel/Frame 046832/0440 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 15670191 · Aug 7, 2017
Continuation 15497638 · Apr 26, 2017
Continuation In Part 15361872 · Nov 28, 2016
Related Publication 20180149666A1 · May 31, 2018